Shloka 70
Ādi-parva Adhyāya 132 — Duryodhana’s Instructions to Purocana at Vāraṇāvata
Lākṣāgṛha Planning
मद्वाक्यसमकालं तु शिरो<स्य विनिपात्यताम् | एकैकशो नियोक्ष्यामि तथा कुरुत पुत्रका:,फिर मेरी आज्ञा मिलनेके साथ ही इसका सिर काट गिराओ। पुत्रो! मैं एक-एकको बारी-बारीसे इस कार्यमें नियुक्त करूँगा; तुमलोग मेरे बताये अनुसार कार्य करो
mad-vākya-samakālaṃ tu śiro 'sya vinipātyatām | ekaikaśo niyokṣyāmi tathā kuruta putrakāḥ ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana disse: “No exato momento em que eu der a ordem, que a cabeça dele seja decepada e caia. Eu vos designarei, um por um, para esta tarefa; filhos, fazei exatamente como eu vos instruo.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethics of obedience to authority: a leader issues a precise, time-bound command and insists on disciplined execution. It implicitly raises moral tension—how duty and compliance can be demanded even when the act involves severe violence—inviting reflection on responsibility, agency, and the limits of following orders.
The speaker (Vaiśaṃpāyana, as narrator) reports an instruction: upon receiving the command, the addressed ‘sons’ are to strike down ‘his’ head immediately. The speaker will appoint them one at a time to carry out the act, emphasizing orderly, sequential assignment and strict adherence to instructions.